'Let me take him.'

Before Eliah could protest, Balint removed Sune's arm from her shoulder and slid into her spot. Gesturing for Loker to help him, he hoisted the unconscious boy onto his back and then set off towards the village at a steady jog.

A small pang of jealousy rose in Eliah's chest at how easy he made it look, especially considering that they'd just completed six hours of training – but she quickly swallowed it down. There were times to lament her weakness, and this was not one of them.

She looked at Loker and Iliana and bit her lip. 'Should someone run ahead and tell the Clan Mothers we're coming?'

Loker looked at her, annoyed. 'You don't even know them.'

'Then you do it, Clanschild.'

The boy smirked. 'Yeah, I should. It would probably take you longer to get there on your own than it'll take Balint to get there with Sune.'

Eliah scowled – mainly because she knew that he was right. 'Make fun of me all you want, Loker, just get moving.'

'Aye, I'm going.'

But before Loker could take off running, Iliana appeared and grabbed him by the sleeve. 'Oh no, you don't, Loke. You may be the tallest, but we all know that I'm the fastest runner in our rank. Plus Balint might need help and you're better suited for that than either of us are.' She brushed the scars across her shoulder and chest and gave him a pointed look.

His lips pursed at the gesture. Averting his eyes, he ran his hand through his ash blond hair. 'I have no idea what you mean,' he muttered.

'Liar,' said Iliana with a laugh.

He just shrugged and let her run ahead.

Eliah eyed Loker with a frown. Everyone in the Clan knew that he'd been the one to find and save Iliana after a mountain beast that had given her those scars during a post-training hunt. He claimed to have simply bound the wounds and collected the ingredients to make a salve, but even Sten had been surprised to see that the girl was even alive when Loker had finally dragged her back to the training grounds on a makeshift sled.

Loker caught her staring and narrowed his eyes in response. 'Got something to say, Regischild?'

'No...' Shaking her thoughts away, Eliah started walking. 'We should follow or we'll fall behind.'

'You mean, you'll fall behind,' said Loker, overtaking her in the span of a few steps. He glanced back over his shoulder. 'No one said you needed to come along, runt.'

'If I hadn't said anything, you probably would have just stood there and let him die!'

'He's not going to die.'

'Really? Because he looks pretty close to dead to me.'

'Then you haven't seen someone truly on the verge of dying,' said Loker with a grimace. 'Regardless, he'll be fine.'

'You sound awfully sure of that.'

'Shut up, weakling! You should be saving your breath instead of interrogating me. If you can't keep up and get lost on your way back to the village, I'm leaving you behind.'

With that, Loker sped up his pace, and Eliah was forced to jog.

─ ☼ ─

Eliah chewed her lower lip, feeling increasingly out of place as she followed Balint and Loker through the village, to a large rectangular stone hall beside the lake where the warrior-trainees, soldiers and shieldmaidens went to bathe.

The Clan Mothers' house was the largest in the Clan, not out of a sense of extravagance, but out of necessity – else it would never have been able to house all of the infants, children and trainees, nor the women and helots that were tasked with caring for them.

After so many years living like a helot and bathing behind a screen, Eliah didn't know where to look as other warrior-trainees returning from training stripped off their clothes and jumped into the water. Just the thought of baring so much skin in front of others brought a flush to her cheeks. Swallowing, she kept her eyes glued to the back of Loker's head until they reached the Clan Mothers' door.

Holding the door open, Loker beckoned Balint inside. 'Mother Helene,' he bellowed, 'we have an injury!' After a moment's hesitation, he glanced back at Eliah and added, 'And a guest.'

'Injury?'

'Guest?'

Before any of them could take another step into the hall, a swarm of curious children between the ages of three and ten ran up to bombard the trainees with questions.

'Wow, what happened to Brother Sune?' asked a little girl.

'Is his face broken?' asked the boy beside her, craning his neck to try and see.

An older girl with a toddler slung across her back looked at Sune and winced. 'It's kind of gross...'

'Who's that girl?' yelled one of the boys at the back. 'Is she our new helot?'

Eliah bristled. 'I'm a warrior-trainee.'

'Eh? But you don't live here!'

Clamouring for the younger ones to be quiet, Loker and Balint tried to make a path, but it wasn't until two loud claps cut through the noise that the mob of little people quietened down and stopped.

An older woman in a simple brown dress and apron approached. Her golden hair was swept into a neat bun, and the crow's feet at the corner of her eyes crinkled with concern as her eyes examined the unconscious boy on Balint's back.

'That's enough now, children. Sune is injured so let Balint through.'

Motioning for the older children and a pair of other clan mothers to assist her, Mother Helene shooed the youngsters out of the way.

'We'll put him in my room,' she said quietly. 'Else some of the cheeky ones will try to sneak into the trainees quarters to peek.'

Leading them through the central hall and down a smaller corridor, she ushered them into a modest, but private room with a small hearth. There was a table and two chairs in the centre, a small chest full of clothing by the door, and a woven basket covered in cloth – presumably meant to hold a sleeping infant – hanging from the ceiling. With Loker's help, Balint lowered Sune onto the furs of the elevated wooden cot by the far wall.

With gentle fingers, Mother Helene examined Sune's broken, swollen face. 'He's breathing – barely. We'll need to clear away some of this blood.'

Left hovering awkwardly by the doorway, Eliah spotted a bucket on the floor beside the hearth and squares of folded cloth on the table. Silently, she soaked several squares, wringed them out and handed them to the clan mother.

'Thank you,' murmured Helene absently. She dabbed at Sune's face, gesturing for Eliah to do the same. But as the girl soaked another cloth and joined her, Helene blinked and looked up at Eliah again. 'Aren't you Regis's girl?'

Eliah nodded without looking up.

Helene frowned, but didn't pursue the topic further. Resuming her task, she addressed the two boys instead. 'So, which of your brothers and sisters did this?'

'Ketill,' said Balint without hesitation.

'That boy does have a nasty streak. Moreso since Titan Raghildr reclaimed him as her child and he left this house to live with her. I imagine he's still with Sten.'

'Yes, Mother.'

'Good. I hope he disciplines him well.'

Motioning for Eliah to stop, Helene passed her the bloodied cloth and leaned in close to the boy's face. With the blood cleared away, the shallow whistle of his breathing became clearer. The frown on her face growing deeper as she listened, the Clan Mother continued to examine his chest, her fingers probing for broken bones and swollen flesh.

After a moment, she nodded, apparently satisfied. She glanced at Loker. 'You've done well to keep him alive.'

Loker shuffled uncomfortably and looked away. 'Balint's the one who carried him.'

Helene smiled. 'Getting him here swiftly does help.' She looked at the other boy. 'Thank you, Balint.'

He simply nodded in response.

'I don't suppose either of you can tell me what Sune did to earn so grievous a beating?'

Loker didn't answer, so Balint did instead. 'Ketill said that Sune used magic against him.'

The Clan Mother sighed and shook her head. 'Nonsense. He doesn't have a spark of it.' She dried her hands on her apron. 'His face is fractured, his nose is broken, as are his ribs, and from the sound of that whistling, he can't breathe. We'll need to fetch Hal or one of the other menials with healing skills if he's going to survive the night.'

'I shall fetch one of our helots to summon them.'

'No, Balint. They're busy with their tasks. Iliana was here just before, send her as a runner instead.'

'Iliana won't go near the menials' quarters, Mother,' Loker interjected. 'And neither will I, for that matter.'

'Where are they?' asked Balint with a frown.

Loker obviously knew, but he shrugged at Balint in response.

'They have quarters in the Temple of Aeon,' said Mother Helene. She frowned. 'Where exactly, I'm unsure. See if you can locate a helot in the village to send instead – although I know many would rather take a beating for disobedience than venture so close to the Cages.'

Seemingly forgotten, Eliah bit her lip. 'Um, Clan Mother...'

Helene frowned at her. 'Yes, girl?'

'I can go if you wish. I know where Hal's quarters are.'

'Of course you would,' muttered Loker. 'I bet you visit them nightly – '

Balint smacked his shoulder and he quickly shut up.

Mother Helene glared at him too. 'Don't be crude, Loker,' she said. 'Hal has been friends with Regis and his children for a long time. And Seras knows how many times we've had to call him to heal children in this house.'

Loker snorted. 'He's never healed me.'

'Well, he has healed me,' said Balint, frowning at the other boy. 'And if Eliah is his woman, then we should – '

Eliah let out a flustered series of incomprehensible noises and turned bright red. 'He's my friend, Gunnarschild!'

'Oh...'

An awkward silence filled the room.

Still blushing, Eliah made for the exit. 'I'll return with a healer!' she yelled as she left.

Balint blinked, pondering her reaction. 'What is she so embarrassed about?' he asked.

'She's not like you clanschildren,' said Mother Helene, shaking her head. 'The girl was raised in isolation, and isolation breeds innocence. I'm sure you've seen it in some of the helots before when they see you all bathing in the lake. They don't live as... communally as we do. She's probably never seen another Seren naked since she was small.'

'She's still small,' said Balint, confused.

'Since before she started her warrior-training, Balint,' the Mother replied with a laugh. As she spoke, she noticed Loker trying to slip out into the hall out of the corner of her eye. Quick as a hare, she leapt forward and grabbed him by the ear. 'Oh no, you don't, quick feet! You need to stay here and watch Sune.'

'Ow – okay, fine!'

'And you, Balint – '

'I will accompany Eliah to the Temple,' said Balint quickly. With a slight bow to the Mother, he followed after Eliah at a trot.

Loker and Mother Helene exchanged glances, his wry and hers bemused. Straightforward as he was, Balint was probably planning to apologise.

'You should tell him that he's going to get himself into trouble if he chases that one, Mother.'

She flicked him in the forehead. 'No more than you will if you're not careful, Loker. I'll make sure no one disturbs you, so use that... talent of yours to keep your clan brother alive.'

'Yes, Mother Helene.'

He grimaced as she kissed him on the forehead and watched silently as she gave Sune one too. Once she had left the room, Loker flopped into a chair and stared aimlessly at the ceiling.

Magic was dangerous. Magic was dishonourable. That was what the Teachings taught.

'Yet, everyone's relying on magic to keep you alive,' he murmured. With a glance to the side he watched Sune's chest fall and rise. Mother Helene was right; Sune had never displayed a single sign of being magic-cursed. As far as he knew, none of the other clanschildren in their sun rank ever had – not even the runts. Loker rubbed his forehead, expression clouding. 'If that it had been me instead of you...'

He didn't dare to finish the thought out loud.

If Ketill had chosen Loker instead of Sune, someone definitely would have died.

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All content and illustrations ©Jax L. P. (@JaxCreation) on 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒑𝒂𝒅. All rights reserved. Please contact the author if you are reading this on another site or under a different account name.